_astralis
Lang's Short-tailed Blue
21/10/2010: #246 in Explore :)
EDIT: I've just realised that this isn't the Long-tailed Blue at all! It is, in fact, Lang's Short-tailed Blue :) They are very similar but with slight differences to the patterned underwing and the two eye spots. I am even more chuffed now! The description below has been amended accordingly :)
Of all the time i spent photographing butterflies in Greece, this was the one i was hoping to get a good shot of. Its not perfect by any means. If i were being fussy (which i always am!), i'd have preferred a lot more detail over the entire wing and some more contrast between the brown/cream pattern. It was cloudy when i took the shot and the wing was shaded enough for white to become cream! These little buggars are very frustrating to photograph, and over the whole week i was there, this was the only decent photograph i got of the Lang's Short-tailed Blue. They were so skittish! Most of the time, i couldn't even get within a metre of them before they darted off. Nonetheless, im relatively pleased with this. The site i frequented consisted mostly of sand dunes covered with large clumps of Thyme. There were masses of the stuff! Even though most of the flowers had died off, there were still plenty around for the butterflies to feed on. My knees and legs ended up with scrapes, scratches and cuts all over them by the end of the holiday but it was well worth it. Kneeling down in herb bushes in shorts and flip flops is not advised! I think the lizards, beetles, ants, preying mantids and the gazillions of grasshoppers eventually got used to me trampling around their territory on a regular basis :)
I have a couple of nice shots of the Common Blue that i might upload from Greece, and possibly one of the Lang's Short-tailed Blue with its wings open (thats a big maybe!) but other than that, the rest will be good ol' British butterflies.
I've also had 3 of my Wood White photos published by Butterfly Conservation! They've been printed in a dossier that will be distributed among land owners to promote awareness of habitat management etc for the rare butterfly. I cant post a picture of it on here as it holds some sensitive information and wont be made widely available but still, im very chuffed :) I really need to get round to sending some photos off to photography magazines and see if i can get something printed in the photo sections. I still feel like a novice though so im not very confident of being successful!
Information: Lang's Short-tailed Blue (one | two)
Technical: 1/250 | f/7.1 | 100mm | ISO400
Camera/Lens: Canon EOS 500D | Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM
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© Gillian Thompson 2010 (eorlingas@gmail.com).
This image is not to be used, copied or edited without my written permission.
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Lang's Short-tailed Blue
21/10/2010: #246 in Explore :)
EDIT: I've just realised that this isn't the Long-tailed Blue at all! It is, in fact, Lang's Short-tailed Blue :) They are very similar but with slight differences to the patterned underwing and the two eye spots. I am even more chuffed now! The description below has been amended accordingly :)
Of all the time i spent photographing butterflies in Greece, this was the one i was hoping to get a good shot of. Its not perfect by any means. If i were being fussy (which i always am!), i'd have preferred a lot more detail over the entire wing and some more contrast between the brown/cream pattern. It was cloudy when i took the shot and the wing was shaded enough for white to become cream! These little buggars are very frustrating to photograph, and over the whole week i was there, this was the only decent photograph i got of the Lang's Short-tailed Blue. They were so skittish! Most of the time, i couldn't even get within a metre of them before they darted off. Nonetheless, im relatively pleased with this. The site i frequented consisted mostly of sand dunes covered with large clumps of Thyme. There were masses of the stuff! Even though most of the flowers had died off, there were still plenty around for the butterflies to feed on. My knees and legs ended up with scrapes, scratches and cuts all over them by the end of the holiday but it was well worth it. Kneeling down in herb bushes in shorts and flip flops is not advised! I think the lizards, beetles, ants, preying mantids and the gazillions of grasshoppers eventually got used to me trampling around their territory on a regular basis :)
I have a couple of nice shots of the Common Blue that i might upload from Greece, and possibly one of the Lang's Short-tailed Blue with its wings open (thats a big maybe!) but other than that, the rest will be good ol' British butterflies.
I've also had 3 of my Wood White photos published by Butterfly Conservation! They've been printed in a dossier that will be distributed among land owners to promote awareness of habitat management etc for the rare butterfly. I cant post a picture of it on here as it holds some sensitive information and wont be made widely available but still, im very chuffed :) I really need to get round to sending some photos off to photography magazines and see if i can get something printed in the photo sections. I still feel like a novice though so im not very confident of being successful!
Information: Lang's Short-tailed Blue (one | two)
Technical: 1/250 | f/7.1 | 100mm | ISO400
Camera/Lens: Canon EOS 500D | Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© Gillian Thompson 2010 (eorlingas@gmail.com).
This image is not to be used, copied or edited without my written permission.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------